A group, The Alliance for Good Governance and Due Process, has kicked against alleged plan by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to appoint Mr. Olanipekun Olukoyede as the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).
The group, in a statement signed by its national coordinator , Mr Ayelabola Hussain and made available to newsmen in Abuja on Monday, said the alleged nomination would be a serious violation of the EFCC Act which is specific about the qualities and qualifications of persons that should be the chairman of such an important commission.
Hussain noted that, in a democracy, the government should be wary of constitutional provisions and nothing should be done to turn the EFCC into a lame duck commission just because some powerful forces would prefer an unqualified person to run its affairs.
He said: “We have watched closely and monitored some of the decisions taken by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu since his inauguration on May 29, 2023.
“While we have, in the past, commended the President for some of the policy initiatives, we find it curious that some news organisations published a story that the President was planning to nominate a one-time Secretary of the EFCC, Mr. Olanipekun Olukoyede, as the chairman of the anti-graft agency.
“To us, this is a shocking development that must be addressed because we have struggled to understand what qualifies Olukoyede for such an exalted office. To be sincere, we have found none. This is, to say the least, a rude joke.
“Besides, the rumour mill is agog with the story of how Olukoyede contracted a Senior Pastor in one of the leading Pentecostal churches in Nigeria to put in a word for him at The Presidency so that he could be appointed to head the anti-agency. Is this right?
“How can the Presidency be thinking of appointing someone who still has a pending case of corruption and who is still under investigation as head of an anti-corruption agency?
“What happens to the pending cases against him even as Secretary of the EFCC under the leadership of Ibrahim Magu?
“Was Olukoyede exonerated by the Justice Ayo Salami Investigative Panel of the EFCC? If so, where is the report of that panel?” he asked.
